Comments on: Do We Give Paranormal Heroes a Pass?http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=7865
Tue, 03 Mar 2015 15:38:35 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.2By: sarahhttp://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=7865&cpage=1#comment-58585
Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:14:04 +0000http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=7865#comment-58585I read this post when it was first posted, then followed the comments all of which made me go back and look at what paranormals I have read in the last year in so. In doing so I’ve realized I have moved completely away from the J.R. Ward books and other paranormal books. I also attempted A Hunger Like No Other but didn’t like the hero enough to finish it. And I constantly wanted to smack the heroine for even staying in the story and putting up with him.

I have when I do want to read paranormals I find I go more and more to the young adult ones (Vampire Academy being one example) where I find the characters are more equal with the female characters not treated like property. But I have also realized this applies to most of the books I read, I can’t stand books where the female meekly follows the man around or just lets him “protect her for her own good.” Get a back bone!!

I read and loved the Twilight series but I consider that “bad book crack” – not necessarily a well written book or one I would normal read the entire series but I got sucked into a story and couldn’t help myself. Sadly, that doesn’t happen with many of the paranormals I have attempted in the past year and thus am barely reading them at all.

]]>By: Paranormal Romance and the Alpha Male | Cora Buhlerthttp://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=7865&cpage=1#comment-57757
Mon, 05 Mar 2012 03:30:14 +0000http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=7865#comment-57757[...] Paranormal Romance and the Alpha Male Posted on March 5, 2012 by Cora At All About Romance, Lynn Spencer wonders whether heroes in paranormal romance are given a pass for controlling, stalkeri…. [...]
]]>By: Hannahhttp://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=7865&cpage=1#comment-57753
Mon, 05 Mar 2012 02:39:51 +0000http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=7865#comment-57753I recently read A Hunger Like No Other for the first time and loved it. It’s one of my favorite paranormal romances. But that doesn’t mean I gave Lachlain’s bad behavior a “pass.” He treated Emmaline horribly, and he came to realize it eventually. He had some grovelling to do before I forgave him. Even then, I would not have felt comfortable with their HEA if Emmaline had not grown into a person who could take on any foe, and therefore could have gotten herself out of Lachlain’s clutches if she had wanted to.
]]>By: Jessica Daniellehttp://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=7865&cpage=1#comment-57716
Sun, 04 Mar 2012 07:51:08 +0000http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=7865#comment-57716Lets go back further then the books of the 70′s – 80′s to Jane Eyre. Rochester was cruel and played cruel games. He was totally selfish. But when he told Jane he loved her and wanted to marry her I melted. And before that, the whole Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. It is my favorite fairy tale by far and I’m not talking the Disney version here. Disturbing or not, there will always be a market for jerk hero’s and the women who love them.

And I love that. I love that it is still a free market. And I love that the ebook market forced print to follow what women want to read rather than just what they want to publish.

And I am glad my daughter will have that choice. BUT I can tell you right now she won’t be making that choice until she is much older. I am not a big fan of the teen romance genre in any way.

Carrie: I’ve thought about this some more and I think I end up with, “Well, the males (and often females) in the PNR genres really *aren’t* human.” If we want characters that act within the bounds of civilized society, then we shouldn’t read paranormals. Part of the fun is experiencing the over-the-top heroes and heroines.

I agree with Carrie but I’d go even further. I think the paranormal nature of these heroes is the most important trait because it means their sexual mate-detecting “Spidey senses,” whether it’s smell or dreams or instincts or what, are always right. A human man who kidnapped you and tried to convince you that he was your soul mate would be creepy as hell. A male Breed, or a male Immortal, or a male Carpathian, or whatever who does the same thing is simply telling the truth.

Not sure I like it. Just thinking about how it works.

]]>By: Carriehttp://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=7865&cpage=1#comment-57680
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 16:04:48 +0000http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=7865#comment-57680I’ve thought about this some more and I think I end up with, “Well, the males (and often females) in the PNR genres really *aren’t* human.” If we want characters that act within the bounds of civilized society, then we shouldn’t read paranormals. Part of the fun is experiencing the over-the-top heroes and heroines. Werewolves wouldn’t be much fun to read about if they didn’t act like wolves. A vampire acting like a sensitive 21st century male would be boring.

And in the end, it’s all about the heroine’s power over the hero. Is she the one who can make a difference in the hero’s life? I think one reason women of all types enjoy these stories isn’t the rape fantasy, it’s the eventual revelation of how much power the female actually has over the male. I’m sure it’s not true in every case, but many of these stories end with female empowerment, not submission.

]]>By: LynnAARhttp://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=7865&cpage=1#comment-57670
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 13:52:42 +0000http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=7865#comment-57670Sandy – Re: The Smoke Thief – With what you’re saying about that book, I think you’re really hitting on one of the main issues. Can we as readers believe that the hero actually has a heart and some respect for his heroine?

If one can believe in the hero’s motivations changing, I can see where The Smoke Thief would work for someone. I thought the language of the book was beautiful, but my main problem is that when the hero made it clear at the beginning that he was pretty much rigging the bargain with the heroine, he lost credibility with me, so I just couldn’t believe in his purported change of heart. I came away from the book figuring that he’d probably try manipulating and controlling the heroine again in future. I’ve known several people who read the book, and some believed the hero had a real change of heart and others didn’t.

]]>By: AAR Sandyhttp://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=7865&cpage=1#comment-57669
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 13:41:21 +0000http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=7865#comment-57669I haven’t read the Kresley Cole, so I can’t comment on that. But how you are able to draw the conclusions you did about The Smoke Thief are beyond me. I didn’t read that book for several years because of your review because I can’t stand controlling heroes. Can’t stand them. Literally. Which is why I can’t read HPs.

When I finally did get around to reading The Smoke Thief, I was overwhelemed with how motivated he was by love at every turn. That and the sheer artfulness of the writing won me over completely.

As for your point about HP heroes “holding back”, the same could be said for Edward of Twilight and the hero in the Smoke Thief. They are not cruel.

@LynnAAR, I’m sorry, but that’s some fancy dancing you’re doing there in order to justify your liking of HPs.

I don’t think so. As I mentioned in the blog piece above, I’m wondering where do we draw the line between an alpha hero and one that’s just downright controlling (or even just plain mean, in some cases) to the heroine. I’ve read plenty of books where the hero is financially successful or amazingly athletic or even has all kinds of superpowers, but he has some empathy and consideration for the heroine’s feelings. Some of the best I’ve read have heroes that a reader knows could completely overpower the heroine and force her into just about anything, but the hero holds back from doing the worst he could do because at the end of it all, he realizes that he wants the heroine’s love and acceptance. And that’s the difference I’m getting at, because I do think there’s a difference between alpha and cruel.